1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to exercise equipment, and more particularly, weightless exercise equipment that employs sliding surfaces and the user's own body weight to create the work required to perform a total body workout.
2. Description of Related Art
In many types of conventional muscle development techniques, equipment such as springs or weights is employed to provide extra strain on the muscles. Such equipment comes in many shapes and forms, varying over a wide range in terms of equipment complexity and cost. One characteristic of all such equipment, however, is that when operated the user's muscles are required to provide more force than they do normally when performing the same body motion. Weightlifting, with free weights or otherwise, is a common example.
In other exercise techniques, the extra weight or force is provided by the weight of the exercising person's own body, and thus such techniques are particularly suited for home exercise. An example of such an exercise is a standard “push-up” where the user uses his or her own body weight to increase the force needed to contract the target muscles and perform the movement. Alternatively, equipment may be provided to maximize the work required by the user in “lifting” her body weight. For example, one popular exercise is the “dip” where the user suspends her body from parallel bars, displaced from the ground and supported thereby, while raising and lowering her body. Such exercises are limited in terms of providing a complete body workout.
In this regard, independent of how the extra force required to perform a movement is introduced to the system, many types of exercise equipment attempt to provide a complete body workout. For example, the aforementioned free weights can be used to achieve a complete body workout by providing equipment that accommodates varying weights and lifting positions, for example. However, portability is compromised by requiring equipment that is relatively bulky. In addition, free weights can be dangerous and are best used with a workout partner.
Other systems overcome these drawbacks associated with free weights and afford better portability by providing relatively simple machines where the user's body weight is used to achieve a total body workout. One notable machine includes a track system where handles are mated to a track via wheels that roll along the track as the user works against a force created by the user's own body weight. However, such a system suffers significant drawbacks. For example, this machine is expensive to manufacture and, with its moving parts (e.g., the wheels), maintenance, and thus its useful life, ultimately becomes an issue. Moreover, in this regard, the machine is always at risk of experiencing down time, which is very inconvenient for the user. And, the machine is heavy, difficult to store and not easily transportable while not being particularly flexible in that it is not easily adaptable to persons of different sizes, shapes and skill levels.
As a result, the field of exercise equipment was in need of a system that takes advantage of the user's own body weight without requiring complex or expensive machines that may require significant maintenance. Such a system should preferably be lightweight, transportable, adjustable and easy to store. In addition, the system should allow the user to work different muscle groups with ready adjustments to provide a total body workout. And, minimum athletic ability and coordination should be required to perform the corresponding exercises.